TX TX - Julie Moseley, 9, Mary Trlica, 17, Lisa Wilson, 14, Fort Worth, 23 Dec 1974 - #2

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FW_Cat said:
Records exist that show Tommy paid $10,000 to Cotton for the shop the summer he married Rachel. A number of things may have influenced that transaction: 1) Cotton was probably already fighting a losing battle with cancer. 2) Tommy's monthy "allowance" was on the condition he have a job. Read his father's will. 3) Maybe Tommy "employed" Cotton so he could learn the transmission business. Like an apprentice. That would be a mutually beneficial situation. Tommy's money was in a trust until he reached 30. Purchasing a business for a lump sum is a reasonable thing to do; it's a job.
Finally, whatever car he drove to the mall is the one they are still in. What car he owned, or had access to, "went missing" (on paper, not reported) in 1974?
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Tommy became a partner in the business at that time, it later became his from what I understand. Raymond (Cotton) trained him and worked with him. As for the car, I've always been very skeptical that someone who loved her at all could ever part with the scene of such a crime. Another laps by FWPD in not taking it to impound. The lack of police help here makes me think that they didn't want to find the cause for some reason. It's extremely lax even for 1974. And they are still of little to no help today.
 
erzulirose said:
Tommy became a partner in the business at that time, it later became his from what I understand. Raymond (Cotton) trained him and worked with him. As for the car, I've always been very skeptical that someone who loved her at all could ever part with the scene of such a crime. Another laps by FWPD in not taking it to impound. The lack of police help here makes me think that they didn't want to find the cause for some reason. It's extremely lax even for 1974. And they are still of little to no help today.
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Set the transmission business aside for the time being. Our information doesn't agree. Rachel was "allowed" to drive the gold '98 Oldsmobile that Tommy inherited. It was not her car. Nothing was hers. Tommy had his own car - the one he got for his 16th birthday. I think it was probably still registered in his father's name. Daddy renewed registration, tags, etc. TT had a very short military career, a short first marriage, a baby; ending up living in his parent's garage at the age of 21. A failure of an adult. That birthday car would have been his personal vehicle; it would be the car he drove to the shop. That would be the car he drove to the mall to hunt Rachel down. That would be the car police didn't know to look for because when they ordered records - it didn't show up. His father was deceased. Assets already distributed are not usually named in a "Last Will." Dad's "Will" was revised shortly after his mother's death. I think the 'Olds was Tommy's mother's car.
I think the police were looking the other way because of Carla Walker. Looking for the wrong killer. I believe they care very much.
 
FW_Cat said:
Set the transmission business aside for the time being. Our information doesn't agree. Rachel was "allowed" to drive the gold '98 Oldsmobile that Tommy inherited. It was not her car. Nothing was hers. Tommy had his own car - the one he got for his 16th birthday. I think it was probably still registered in his father's name. Daddy renewed registration, tags, etc. TT had a very short military career, a short first marriage, a baby; ending up living in his parent's garage at the age of 21. A failure of an adult. That birthday car would have been his personal vehicle; it would be the car he drove to the shop. That would be the car he drove to the mall to hunt Rachel down. That would be the car police didn't know to look for because when they ordered records - it didn't show up. His father was deceased. Assets already distributed are not usually named in a "Last Will." Dad's "Will" was revised shortly after his mother's death. I think the 'Olds was Tommy's mother's car.
I think the police were looking the other way because of Carla Walker. Looking for the wrong killer. I believe they care very much.
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If they care so much why don't they pull the cars up from Benbrook? The family will have to pay for that. Like I said, I believe you're close to right. I believe TT is the main suspect. But, I believe he had help. Rachel would have left with him, and the other girls would follow. I just don't see how he accomplished it alone, or that the police really want this solved. They have more than enough information to warrant their interest in the cars in Benbrook. Even if it's not our Trio. But, they still sit there. Waiting. Waiting since the 70's.
 
Erzulirose, what is your theory? Who do you suspect of being the accomplice that you mentioned? It's good to have you here and to have more discussion going on about this case. It is far beyond time to find these girls.

It is difficult for me to understand how anyone could harm another person to begin with, and we see controlling husband's do bad things to their wives a lot unfortunately, but if Julie and Renee were indeed collateral damage, it's just too much. Every time I think about it, I feel sick. Then I think about how long this case has been unsolved and how long the perp has gone on to live a normal life unpunished... I can't stand it.

FW_Cat, have you thought about completing your message in a bottle since there is a new set of eyes?

IMO
 
This isn’t likely anything to do with the case. How old was Rachel’s father Cotton when she disappeared? I have been looking for a relative that we only know by the name Cotton, who would’ve been in the Dallas area in the 1940’s
 
Mandam said:
This isn’t likely anything to do with the case. How old was Rachel’s father Cotton when she disappeared? I have been looking for a relative that we only know by the name Cotton, who would’ve been in the Dallas area in the 1940’s
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Raymond ("Cotton") Arnold
b. 08-05-1935 d. 07-18-1975
He was 39 years old. I think he was originally from Marshall, TX. His obituary says he lived in Fort Worth for 21 years.
 
wdmcmahan said:
Erzulirose, what is your theory? Who do you suspect of being the accomplice that you mentioned? It's good to have you here and to have more discussion going on about this case. It is far beyond time to find these girls.

It is difficult for me to understand how anyone could harm another person to begin with, and we see controlling husband's do bad things to their wives a lot unfortunately, but if Julie and Renee were indeed collateral damage, it's just too much. Every time I think about it, I feel sick. Then I think about how long this case has been unsolved and how long the perp has gone on to live a normal life unpunished... I can't stand it.

FW_Cat, have you thought about completing your message in a bottle since there is a new set of eyes?

IMO
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No. If I start over; I'll take a more direct approach. I'll ask for a face-to-face meeting and dump everything on a conference table. I don't know how much more of this freak-show I can take. I'm so tired. It's like that movie "Groundhog Day" only worse.
 
FW_Cat said:
No. If I start over; I'll take a more direct approach. I'll ask for a face-to-face meeting and dump everything on a conference table. I don't know how much more of this freak-show I can take. I'm so tired. It's like that movie "Groundhog Day" only worse.
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Ugh, I really can't even imagine. I really do believe that your efforts matter a great deal and I have faith that one day those poor girls will be found.
 
FW_Cat said:
Records exist that show Tommy paid $10,000 to Cotton for the shop the summer he married Rachel. A number of things may have influenced that transaction: 1) Cotton was probably already fighting a losing battle with cancer. 2) Tommy's monthy "allowance" was on the condition he have a job. Read his father's will. 3) Maybe Tommy "employed" Cotton so he could learn the transmission business. Like an apprentice. That would be a mutually beneficial situation. Tommy's money was in a trust until he reached 30. Purchasing a business for a lump sum is a reasonable thing to do; it's a job.
Finally, whatever car he drove to the mall is the one they are still in. What car he owned, or had access to, "went missing" (on paper, not reported) in 1974?
Click to expand...
I am with you 100% at this point. If the cars in that reservoir are ever raised, this case will be solved and Tommy Trlica will die in a Texas prison's gas chamber.
 
FW_Cat said:
Raymond ("Cotton") Arnold
b. 08-05-1935 d. 07-18-1975
He was 39 years old. I think he was originally from Marshall, TX. His obituary says he lived in Fort Worth for 21 years.
Click to expand...

Not the Cotton I’m looking for, but thank you. Who knew it was such a popular nickname?
 
Can someone remind me again who Carla Walker is that FW_Cat referenced? I have read all of the posts but I do not remember. Thank you.
 
Rhett said:
Can someone remind me again who Carla Walker is that FW_Cat referenced? I have read all of the posts but I do not remember. Thank you.
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She was a teenaged girl abducted and murdered in Fort Worth Texas in February 1974. It was a high profile case. She and her boyfriend were in a car parked at a bowling ally when the door swung open. He was beaten and seriously injured and she was abducted. Her body was found a few days later and her case remains unsolved. Her Websleuths thread is below:

TX - TX - Carla Walker, 17, Fort Worth, 17 Feb 1974
 
Did Tommy inherit the house on Minot? I just wondered if that's how he was able to live in such a nice home at his young age.

FW_Cat said:
Yes and no. He owned a transmission shop and was there all day (he says.) He did show up for his weekly bowling league night at the Wedgwood bowl. He was reached there by phone at 8:30. He showed up at the mall parking lot driven by Debra in her car - around 11pm. What happened to his personal vehicle? It was not seen again. The '98 Olds was his mother's car. He inherited it, and the house when his parents passed away in April (mom) and August (dad) 1973. The Olds was there at the mall all night. Renee's dad, and his best friend (who lived next door to the Arnolds' on 6th Avenue) parked up the hill and stayed up all night watching the car. Sometime Tues. TT drove the car from the mall, and every day after that. What happened to his car? He is the "someone they trusted." He made phone calls from "work", to family members. When the police asked Rachel's mother if TT was at the shop all day, she replied "Yes" because she believed it. When the police asked "How do you know?" She told a white lie. "Because, I was there!" She wasn't. Rachel's dad worked at TT's shop, but everyone knows he had chemo that morning and she was home all day taking care of him. SO. According to his statement, he got up and went to work. Left a "little early" and went bowling. Where is the car he drove to work? What about any car he had access to at his shop? He is the lone suspect. I think a car went missing that day. And it's in 60 ft of water. We found 3 cars in the first 40 minutes exactly where I told police to look. Exactly. They are all 2-door sedans. Visibility is about 3" down there, so we need to go back and get Vin#'s, do a proper records search. If any of those cars are connected to him, wasn't reported stolen, records don't show a title transfer, he's going have a hard time explaining it. And a harder time explaining why he hid the fact of another vehicle registered to him from police. That crime scene is where no one can get to it, so I'm being patient. It has to be processed by law enforcement to be evidence. One scintilla of evidence that Julie or Renee were ever in that car (this would be the only time) - and there will be alot of evidence; he's done. Tommy's whereabouts are unaccounted for from 8am-6pm.
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Tommy
 
FW_Cat said:
I rely on e-mail alerts for activity. So; Tricia made us a new home - and an alert or two went missing. The new-and-improved WS.com is just...WOW! Something it might interest everyone to know is this: You can be in almost daily contact with a number of people at the heart of a "cold case" and rarely discuss it. As time goes on; relationships stand on their own or fade away. Having said that...occasionally, from nowhere, something lands and stirs things up. That happened this week. Since any case disturbance demands immediate and full attention; it has mine so here I am.
As for the "Message in a Bottle Letters" same thing...something fell out of the sky in early December. So, I stopped writing after the 4th one - in the middle of the 5th one. Everything in the letters was already shared with family members. The letters were an attempt to provide it to law enforcement because no one else would. We have another new detective - my 5th in 10 years. I have all these stamped addressed envelopes (in pencil)...my hand-written journal, and a family member bullying a potential witness and accusing me of "ruining" the case almost 7 months later. People that have nothing to hide...hide nothing.View attachment 135194 View attachment 135195
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FW_Cat I’m curious as to your opinion of the Hutchens information about Danny Wilson’s interaction w/the girls at 11:30 pm on the night in question. I realize Mr. Hutchens’ info came 30 years after the fact and that the timing is off by being way after family members were already at the mall searching. However, what struck me as odd, is that both Danny Wilson and TT had short military (army) careers and lots of wives. Seems like intriguing coincidences to me. I know you believe TT acted alone, but the idea that they could have know each other (both from F.W.) intrigues me in some intuitive way I can’t explain. Just for grins, suppose Wilson was a customer of the radiator shop? Or suppose they showed up together in an old military photo?
 
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